slink

[ slingk ]

verb (used without object)

slunkslunk [sluhngk] or (Archaic) slank [slangk];slinking

1. to move or go in a furtive, abject manner, as from fear, cowardice, or shame.

   Synonyms: lurk, sneak, skulk

2. to walk or move in a slow, sinuous, provocative way.

verb (used with object)

slunkslunk [sluhngk] or (Archaic) slank [slangk];slinking

1. (especially of cows) to bring forth (young) prematurely.

noun

1. a prematurely born calf or other animal.

adjective

1. born prematurely:

   a slink calf.

slink

/ slɪŋk /

verb

1. intr to move or act in a furtive or cringing manner from or as if from fear, guilt, etc
2. intr to move in a sinuous alluring manner
3. tr (of animals, esp cows) to give birth to prematurely

noun

1. 1. an animal, esp a calf, born prematurely
   2. ( as modifier )

      slink veal

Other Words From

• slinking·ly adverb
• outslink verb (used with object) outslunk outslinking
• un·slinking adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slink¹

First recorded before 1150; Middle English slynken (verb), Old English slincan “to creep, crawl”; cognate with Low German slinken, German schlinken

Word History and Origins

Origin of slink¹

Old English slincan; related to Middle Low German slinken to shrink, Old Swedish slinka to creep, Danish slunken limp

Example Sentences

Here, slender salamanders slink through the leaf litter under robust stands of Santa Cruz Island buckwheat and California fuchsia.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s always amusing to see a business suffer from the turnabout-is-fair-play principle, so we owe props to the National Football League Players Assn., which has delivered a stinging hit on DraftKings in a lawsuit over the gambling firm’s attempt to slink out of its payments on a licensing deal.

From Los Angeles Times

But Harris didn’t leave it to the imagination, outlining a litany of barbarities that await should Trump slink back into the Oval Office: Journalists and his political opponents jailed.

From Los Angeles Times

Here, slender salamanders slink through the leaf litter under robust stands of Santa Cruz Island buckwheat and California fuchsia.

From Los Angeles Times

Every few months after she left the narrow white cottage on Poplar Boulevard, Maria Merritt would slink back to the tree-lined street in El Sereno, find a secluded spot and stare at her old house.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lurk
• meander
• prowl
• sidle
• skitter
• skulk
• slither
• sneak
• undulate